Campaign Story

Hello reader (friends, family, and curious bystanders)!

By now most of you have heard Evan and I telling you that we are pursuing adoption…well…that is mostly true. We are actually pursuing what is called Embryo adoption, but when we talk with you, it is always been easier to just say adoption for the sake of conversation moving along. However, now that I have clarified what we are actually doing…let me take you back to what got us here and then clarify what embryo adoption actually is…

It’s crazy to think, but we have been married 6 years already and suprisingly, most people haven’t asked us about why we don’t have kids yet…but even when we have gotten the question, it has secretly brought painful feelings to our hearts. Little do most people know, but we actually started trying about 2 years into our marriage. As time passed we thought maybe things were just a fluke because of my ongoing mental/physical health issues (another story for another time) until finally we decided to get tested for fertility issues. Through this we found out some unfortunate diagnoses between both of us, so much that the doctors didn’t even recommend any other processes besides IVF…which is usually the last resort process for those with fertility issues. You can imagine the pain that came with hearing that and the struggles that ensued both individually and within our marriage. Regardless, we kept trying…and in March of 2024 I received incredible healing over my mental health. As a result of that healing, I have been able to take care of my physical health in a much better way. This actually resulted in my menstrual cycle becoming mostly regular. Because of that, we decided to redo all of the testing that we had done previously but still received the same results. However, by then we had been already considering the idea of adoption and its various avenues. Through some great friends of ours, we actually found out about a form of adoption called embryo adoption. So, after discussing it throughout the holiday season of 2024, in January 2025, we began the process of looking for embryo adoption agencies. We also tried to focus on finding a Christian based agency, which, as you can imagine, was much more difficult.

And now that brings us to today…so what is embryo adoption?…

“Embryo adoption is a process where a couple or individual adopts embryos that were created but not used by another couple during their In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments. The adopting parents carry the pregnancy and give birth to the child. This unique path to parenthood allows prospective parents to experience pregnancy and delivery, while offering the genetic parents a loving alternative to discarding or donating their remaining embryos to science. It’s an opportunity to build a family through a special act of compassion and generosity.” (thank you google for helping me create a more succinct description) Unfortunately, this process can cost approximately $10,000-$25,000 depending on what you have to go through. The amount we have on here is because of our past medical expenses with testings and a deposit towards an agency that we got rejected from (more will be explained in a later post). This number is not an exact number but it also includes current and future estimated payments for the upcoming segments of our process.

Finally, while this is a fundraising page, please understand that this is mainly a page to update you all in one spot and place current prayer requests. I have been trying to keep a mental record of the processes that we have gone through so far and plan on posting them here soon for you all to catch up on, and also will post current updates as they occur. I do want to say that because this entire process can be a strenuous journey I may refrain from posting some current updates until after they have passed. So if I seem hesitant to talk about it in person, please understand it’s not meant to avoid you, it’s meant to be able to process through the struggles without an extra audience. So, thank you for joining us on this journey! Through prayer, emotional support, financial support and just having you in our lives, you are appreciated and loved! (p.s. For those of you who received a card from us about this site….consider that your holiday card from us too)

And now…a word from Evan. As most of you are aware…evan is a bit more technical and also dislikes social media in any form….but i asked him to write a little something for this anyways…so here it is..

“The standard birth today costs $30,00. Standard meaning in hospital and following all medical recommendations. Stephanie and I are blessed with reliable and sustainable jobs and some modern financial tools that allow us to handle expenses like this with minimal setback. While we hope to eventually have a second or third child naturally at this cost, we are currently planning to adopt an embryo. It is apparent to us that this is our best option. Not only are we struggling to have a child naturally, but IVF has created a new need. Most hopeful parents who use IFV do not commit to using every embryo. With rising infertility, not unlike what Stephanie and I are experiencing, there are more and more couples using IVF. These two factors have caused there to be over one million new human lives frozen. As this is not standard, there is a cost difference. Embryo adoption will cost approximately $9,000 at a minimum. Stephanie and I have gone through our finances and have decided that it would be appropriate to reach out for some help. To anyone who is willing and able, we are asking for financial assistance with this cost difference. Regardless of anyone’s donations, we’d also ask that everyone pray for a successful pregnancy whenever you think to do so. While this process is more and more commonly done, the chances of success aren’t much higher than 50%. While all things are in God’s control, there is not even the illusion of control in this process. Stephanie would be very grateful for a large prayer team for this undertaking.”